art and design

Well, it's only taken me eleven days since the start of the new year to draft a post. Things are finally starting to quiet after the buzz of the holidays. I always get a little worried about how I will manage to survive the doldrums of January and February: short, dark, cold days that seem to drag on. The big bright spot for January is always the arrival of seed catalogs. Each catalog holds the promise of longer days spent outside in the sun and the bounty the seeds will eventually produce. It's that little glimmer of hope in the deepest, darkest days of winter.

We have been ordering seeds for several years now, and every year our seedling production increases. Last year we virtually had a greenhouse in our kitchen nook until we realized it was attracting the ants. Oops. This year, well, I'm not sure where we'll put our seeds. We still have some time to figure out that little issue.

We have two favorite catalogs we turn to that I thought I would share. We know that both have organic seeds, neither contain seeds in any way related to Monsanto and we love the variety of produce and flowers the pages contain.

This is my favorite to look through. They are devoted to preserving as many heirloom varieties as possible and they even include in their descriptions the origin of the seeds, many of which are extremely rare. This is a gorgeous catalog that is best appreciated when you have some time to curl up on the couch with a couple of hours and a glass of wine.

While this catalog isn't glossy like Baker Creeks, it is nonetheless filled with quality seeds. We have been getting our seeds from here for many years now and have never been disappointed.

I still need to spend the time going through these catalogs and planning our garden. It may seem ridiculous to even be thinking of our spring garden now, but it helps me make it through the dark, dreary Pacific Northwest winter.